Page 62 of Divine Sense

“I’m not sure. Probably someone she met here. Knowing Ophie, she’s probably making him fall in love with her as we speak.” Malcolm slammed the glass down on the counter top so hard I was surprised it didn’t shatter. He walked away from us with a huff, finally peeling his eyes away from Ophelia and her date.

“Did I say something wrong?” Bailey asked, looking towards Hank with wide eyes.

He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “No, hermosa?*, you didn’t. I’m not sure what’s gotten into him, he’ll be fine though.” He kissed her head again in reassurance.

The five of us started talking about work, our weekend plans, and nothing overly specific. My friends worked to get to know my girl by asking her polite questions and she did the same to them. After a little bit, Malcolm returned to the group with a more calm demeanor and I made a mental note to ask him what the hell his temper tantrum had been about. I kept my spot behind Magnolia, holding her hand and running my other along the length of her back. As we all shared some food and drinks, I reveled in how it felt so normal to be spending a Friday night with her like this. Nearly an hour had passed and we were all talking about our favorite movies, when the voice of a man cut through our conversation.

“Look who we have here,” he said, the condescending tone not lost on anyone in the group. I felt her tense up under me and she turned her head slowly to look towards the voice. As we turned, a familiar face came into view. I looked at her to see how she would react and watched as her face pinched up into a scowl.

“Hello,Daniel,” she sneered through gritted teeth. I felt my spine straighten defensively as I heard his name, knowing he was the man she was with before me. The man who had cheated on her and made her believe it was her fault he did it. He was wearing khaki slacks and a striped polo shirt that screamed ‘I’ve never made a woman orgasm a day in my life’. The hand I had on her back instinctually wrapped itself around her waist in defense. His eyes flicked to my hand and then narrowed on me.

“Who’s your friend, Maggie?” His lips turned up into a slithery smile as he looked at me like a secret to be exploited. Pulling his eyes from me, they landed square on Magnolia again. “Talk about a fall from grace, going from me to a guy like…him.”

“A guy like you? You mean a guy who relies on a little blue pill to get it up and only gets laid because he tricks some poor girl five years younger than him into believing that he’s actually any good in bed?” she snapped, laughing as she finished herinsult. Hank and Conrad ‘ooooh’d at her diss and Bailey covered her own laughs with her hand. He swallowed his anger hard and looked towards me.

“Listen man, I know she can be a lot to handle. My condolences to you for having to put up with her mouth all the time. With a little bit of time, you might be able to break her. Unfortunately, she just got a little too boring in bed for me to keep trying.” My free hand clenched at my side as I held myself back from hitting him because I knew that if I did, I would be the one to get in more trouble because of the way I looked. Unclenching my hand, I offered it to him to shake, which he did.

I squeezed his hand, hard, and gave him the most polite smile I could conjure up. “You don’t have to worry about me at all. I enjoy the sound of her mouth calling out my name every night, which is something I remember her telling me you could never accomplish. It’s a damn shame you couldn’t ‘break her,’ as you say, because I’m having a hell of a time setting her free in my bed each time she’s with me.” I noticed the anger creeping up his neck and could tell his face was becoming flush with rage. I continued to crush his hand in mine, keeping him locked where he was so he couldn’t escape. “And if I hear of you giving her a hard time again, I promise, I’ll be doing so much more than just shaking your hand. You have a good night now.” I narrowed my eyes on him and dropped his hand. He flexed it, trying to regain feeling in it after I had squeezed it so tight the blood was starting to drain from it. Our group looked on with bated breath to see what would happen next.

Daniel straightened his shirt and took a step back, eyeing all of us with disgust and disapproval. Then, he looked back at Magnolia again. “I sure hope Mommy and Daddy don’t find out about your little play thing. I don’t think they’d take too kindly to you shaking up withhis kind.” While he hadn’t said what he wanted to say, the implication of what he meant wasn’t lost onany of us. Without missing a beat, Hank and Conrad were on their feet and moving towards him with clenched fists, ready for a fight. This wasn’t the worst thing someone has said about me because of the color of my skin. Anytime someone tried, though, my friends were always there to put them in their place. They had closed the gap between them and where Daniel was standing when a loud slam came from behind us on the bar. We all jumped at the sound and looked to see what the hell had caused it.

“I think my friend told you to have a good night,” Malcolm threatened, holding a baseball bat on the top of the counter, staring Daniel down from where he stood. “I suggest you get the hell out of my bar before you’re so fucked up no amount of Daddy’s money can put you back together, pretty boy.”

Daniel’s eyes flicked between the baseball bat in Malcolm’s hand and all of us. His nostrils flared and his chest was rising and falling as he attempted to regain his composure. Unable to produce any kind of comeback, he stormed out of the bar alone. Once he was gone, I could feel everyone’s shoulders fall as the group took a collective deep breath. Magnolia slipped a shaking hand into mine and looked up at me with an apologetic glance.

“Kolbi, I?—”

“Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.” I hugged her into my chest and wished more than anything I could keep her here forever, safely tucked away from any more potential threats.

“I can’t believe he said those things to you.” Her words were hurried as she pulled herself away from me. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey,” I leaned down and kissed her cheek trying to calm her nerves. “You have nothing to apologize for. He’s a dick and someone needed to put him in his place.”

“I still can’t believe he was here, that he saw us. What if he tells my parents?” Fear laced her words as her eyebrows met in the center of her face.

“Then we will figure it out. You and me, together. Remember?” I offered, shaking her hand a little. She gave me a soft smile and nodded.

“You and me, together.” She stood from the barstool and looped her arms around my neck.

“All I’m saying,” Bailey started from behind us, “is that it was fuckin’ badass how you put him in his place, girl.” When Magnolia took her seat again, Bailey offered her a fist which she bumped.

“Like Kolbi said, he’s a dick. Someone needed to put him in his place.”

“I wish you would have let me put him in his place,” Malcolm added from behind the counter. “I could use a good ass whopping tonight.” He slapped the inside of his palm with the baseball bat before tucking it back under the counter. I didn’t miss how his eyes were casted towards a hightop that was across the bar behind us.

“How about you and I just deal with that in the ring, brother?” Hank offered with an apprehensive laugh.

“Now that,” Malcolm pointed at Hank, “is an excellent idea.”

Everyone laughed, finally letting the tension dissipate. Magnolia stood up again from her seat again and pulled me into another hug.

“Thank you for defending me like that. It means a lot that you did,” she murmured in my ear, only loud enough for me to hear. My arms tightened around her small frame.

“I would do anything for you, I hope you know that.”

“I do, that’s why I love you so much.” She hummed, kissing the side of my face as she did.

“I love you too, angel. Don’t you ever forget it.”

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